Politics

Represent! is your eye on how well government serves citizens and the public interest in Southern California. KPCC's politics and government team posts frequently on transparency, civic engagement, reform efforts and accountability. We invite your comments and suggestions — follow us on Twitter at the links below.

Today is Friday, March 21, and here is what's happening in Southern California politics:

Headlines

Mayor Eric Garcetti suspended the LAFD's hiring program when he learned a department employee had held recruitment workshops for fire department insiders. "I have determined that the fire department's recruiting process is fatally flawed," Garcetti said. KPCC, Los Angeles Times

Campaign finance appeared to be the main issue as four candidates for the Board of Supervisors' Third District debated at UCLA Thursday evening. "I think the funding of politics should be much more spread out and not just belong to people who can write themselves a check," Sheila Kuehl said of opponent Bobby Shriver, who has said he will give some of his personal fortune to the campaign. KPCC, Los Angeles Times

The Daily News looks at Mayor Eric Garcetti's plan for city workers to pay more money toward their health insurance. "SEIU workers contend that there are other ways to save money, and point to the concessions they’ve made, like higher contributions to pension costs," according to the newspaper.

The campaign to lead United Teachers Los Angeles will go to a runoff between incumbent Warren Fletcher and challenger Alex Caputo-Pearl, reports the Los Angeles Times. "It's unclear whether teachers were personally displeased with Fletcher or were expressing overall discontent with the union or their jobs," per the Times.

A judge upheld the firing of a Los Angeles police officer who obtained a picture of singer Rihanna after she was attacked by then-boyfriend Chris Brown. The photo of the injured singer later appeared on TMZ, reports the Associated Press.